Dataset · 51 jurisdictions
Contractor license requirements by state
By Oussama Chicha, EditorUpdated Checked against primary sources · not yet reviewed by a licensed professional
Of the 51 jurisdictions, 10 are published with what their statutes, rules and licensing agencies say about contractor licenses, and 41 are listed as not yet verified. Each published row names the credential the state government issues as its source names it, the licensing agency, and the exam, bond and license fee its record states, each with its source; a fee carries the date of the page it was read from. A row marked not yet verified says nothing about that state's law.
What this table shows · as of 2026-10-04
Each row is one jurisdiction: whether its state government licenses general or building contractors, the licensing agency, and the exam, bond and license fee its record states, each with its source. The 10 published rows are in the downloads; the other 41 are listed as not yet verified, with nothing else.
All 51 jurisdictions
| State | State license | Agency | Exam | Bond | License fee | Page | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Alaska | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Arizona | Contractor's license (residential and commercial) A.R.S. § 32-1151 A.R.S. § 32-1102(1) A.R.S. § 32-1102(2) A.R.S. § 32-1102(4) | Arizona Registrar of Contractors | A written examination, if required, taken not more than two years before application, on qualification in the kind of work applied for, the state's building, safety, health and lien laws, the administrative principles of the contracting business and the registrar's rules A.R.S. § 32-1122 | See statute · Bond page A.R.S. § 32-1152(B)(1) A.R.S. § 32-1152(B)(1)(f) A.R.S. § 32-1152(B)(1)(a) A.R.S. § 32-1152(B)(5) A.R.S. § 32-1152(B)(4) | New license, general commercial (A, B-1, B-2): application fee $200, license fee $580, recovery fund assessment $0, total $780, for a two-year license as of 2014-07-01 License and Renewal Fees, Arizona Registrar of Contractors | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| Arkansas | Not yet verified | ||||||
| California | Contractor license (residential and commercial) Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7028(a) Qualifying Experience for the Examination, CSLB Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7057(a) | Contractors State License Board (CSLB) | The board requires an applicant to show knowledge and experience in the classification applied for and general knowledge of the building, safety, health and lien laws and the administrative principles of the contracting business; the required documents and initial license fee are submitted after the examination is passed Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7068(a) Applying for the Contractors Examination, CSLB | $25,000 · Bond page Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7071.6(a) | Original application (exam or waiver for one classification): $450 per application as of 2026-10-03 List of All CSLB Fees, Contractors State License Board | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| Colorado | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Connecticut | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Delaware | Not yet verified | ||||||
| District of Columbia | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Florida | Certificate or registration (residential and commercial) Fla. Stat. § 489.115(1) (2026) Fla. Stat. § 489.105 (2026) | Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board | Section 489.111 provides for licensure by examination: any person who desires to be certified applies to the department in writing Fla. Stat. § 489.111 (2026) | Not in our verified record | See Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| Georgia | Residential or Commercial General Contractor license (residential and commercial) Residential and Commercial General Contractors FAQ, Georgia Secretary of State | State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors, Georgia Secretary of State | Licensure comes from completing the application and passing the required examinations; once approved by the Board, an applicant is allowed 3 exam sittings within a one-year period Residential and Commercial General Contractors FAQ, Georgia Secretary of State | Not in our verified record | See State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors, Georgia Secretary of State | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| Hawaii | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Idaho | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Illinois | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Indiana | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Iowa | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Kansas | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Kentucky | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Louisiana | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Maine | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Maryland | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Massachusetts | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Michigan | Residential builder license; residential maintenance and alteration contractor license (residential) MCL 339.601(6) MCL 339.2401(a)(i) MCL 339.2401(b)(i) | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section | An examination establishing a fair knowledge of the obligations of a residential builder or residential maintenance and alteration contractor to the public and the applicant's principal, and of the statutes relating to the applicant's licensure MCL 339.2404(2) | Not in our verified record | Application for residential builders or maintenance and alteration contractors license: $195 per application as of 2026-04-17 LARA Bureau of Construction Codes, License Fees | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| Minnesota | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Mississippi | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Missouri | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Montana | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Nebraska | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Nevada | Contractor's license (residential and commercial) NRS 624.700(1) NSCB, FAQ for General Requirements | Nevada State Contractors Board | The qualifying individual passes the written Business and Law examination and a trade exam for the specific trade unless he or she meets the requirements for a waiver; not all classifications require a trade exam NSCB, FAQ for General Requirements | See statute · Bond page NRS 624.270(1) NRS 624.270(4) | Application fee: $300 per application as of 2026-10-04 NSCB, New License Application (Revised 09/2026) | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| New Hampshire | Not yet verified | ||||||
| New Jersey | Not yet verified | ||||||
| New Mexico | Not yet verified | ||||||
| New York | Not yet verified | ||||||
| North Carolina | General contractor license (residential and commercial) N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-10(a) N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-10(b) | North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors | The applicant identifies a qualifier who has passed an examination approved by the Board N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-10(b) | See statute · Bond page 21 NCAC 12A .0204(e) | Application, limited license: $75 per application as of 2020-09-01 21 NCAC 12A .0304(a)(1) 21 NCAC 12A .0304 history note | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| North Dakota | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Ohio | No state general contractor license Ohio Rev. Code § 4740.01(A) Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, Ohio Department of Commerce | Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, Ohio Department of Commerce | No state license | No state license | No state license fee | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| Oklahoma | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Oregon | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Pennsylvania | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Rhode Island | Not yet verified | ||||||
| South Carolina | Not yet verified | ||||||
| South Dakota | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Tennessee | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Texas | No state general contractor license Office of the Governor, Texas Business Licenses & Permits Guide 2026-2027 (updated December 2025), General Contracting, Construction, Home Builder | Office of the Governor, Business Permit Office | No state license | No state license | No state license fee | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| Utah | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Vermont | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Virginia | Contractor's license (residential and commercial) Va. Code § 54.1-1103(A) Va. Code § 54.1-1100 | Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) | Class A and Class B: the firm names a designated employee who has passed a board-approved examination or has been exempted from the examination requirement. Class A, Class B and Class C: the qualified individual named for each classification or specialty has met the appropriate prerequisite and board-approved examination, where applicable 18VAC50-22-60(B)(3) 18VAC50-22-50(B)(3) 18VAC50-22-60(C)(4) 18VAC50-22-50(C)(4) 18VAC50-22-40(B)(4) | Not in our verified record | Class C initial license: $235 per application as of 2025-09-24 18VAC50-22-100 | State page | 2026-10-04 |
| Washington | Not yet verified | ||||||
| West Virginia | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Wisconsin | Not yet verified | ||||||
| Wyoming | Not yet verified | ||||||
State license: the credential the state government issues to general or building contractors, named as its source names it, then the work it covers (residential and commercial, residential, or commercial), or no exam where the record shows no exam or qualification test; or No state general contractor license, where the state government issues none. Exam: the exam the record states. Bond: the bond amount the record states, See statute where its source states no single amount, and our bond page for the state where we publish one. License fee: the first fee the record states, with the date of the page it was read from, or a link to the licensing agency where the record holds no fee. Where the state government issues no general contractor license, Exam and Bond read No state license and License fee reads No state license fee. Not in our verified record: the record does not establish it either way. Not yet verified: the row states nothing about that state's law.
CC BY 4.0: free to reuse with a link back. The downloads carry the published rows only, with their sources and dates.
About this data
Each published row gives, for one jurisdiction, what its state government's statutes, rules and licensing agency say about licensing general or building contractors, each fact with its source. City and county licenses and trade licenses are not in this table. The published rows were verified on 2026-10-04, and the next review is due by 2027-01-02. Every other row is marked Not yet verified and carries nothing else.
Sources behind the published rows
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1151 (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1102 (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1121 (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1122 (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1152 (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- License and Renewal Fees, Arizona Registrar of Contractors (archived copy, captured 2026-07-26)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1126 (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1125 (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1164 (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- California Business and Professions Code § 7028 (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- Qualifying Experience for the Examination, Contractors State License Board (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- California Business and Professions Code § 7057 (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- California Business and Professions Code § 7048 (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- California Business and Professions Code § 7068 (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- Applying for the Contractors Examination, Contractors State License Board (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- California Business and Professions Code § 7071.6 (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- List of All CSLB Fees, Contractors State License Board (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- California Business and Professions Code § 7140 (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- California Business and Professions Code § 7031 (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- Florida Statutes § 489.115 (2026) (archived copy, captured 2026-09-16)
- Florida Statutes § 489.105 (2026) (archived copy, captured 2026-09-15)
- Florida Statutes § 489.103 (2025) (archived copy, captured 2026-08-11)
- Florida Statutes § 489.111 (2026) (archived copy, captured 2026-09-15)
- Florida Statutes § 489.127 (2025) (archived copy, captured 2026-05-07)
- Residential and Commercial General Contractors FAQ, Georgia Secretary of State (archived copy, captured 2026-04-24)
- How-to Guide: Residential Contractors, Georgia Secretary of State (archived copy, captured 2026-07-16)
- Michigan Compiled Laws, section 339.601 (archived copy, captured 2026-03-11)
- Michigan Compiled Laws, section 339.2401 (archived copy, captured 2026-05-17)
- Michigan Compiled Laws, section 339.2403 (archived copy, captured 2025-09-13)
- Michigan Compiled Laws, section 339.2404 (archived copy, captured 2025-09-13)
- Michigan Compiled Laws, section 339.2404b (archived copy, captured 2025-09-18)
- LARA Bureau of Construction Codes, License Fees (archived copy, captured 2026-04-17)
- North Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 87, Article 1 (archived copy, captured 2026-04-27)
- North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, home page (archived copy, captured 2026-08-31)
- 21 NCAC 12A, North Carolina Administrative Code (General Contractors) (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- NRS Chapter 624, Contractors (archived copy, captured 2026-09-25)
- Nevada State Contractors Board, FAQ for General Requirements (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Nevada State Contractors Board, New License Application (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4740, Construction Industry Licensing Board (archived copy, captured 2026-04-13)
- Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, Ohio Department of Commerce (archived copy, captured 2026-08-17)
- Texas Business Licenses and Permits Guide 2026-2027, Office of the Governor (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- Code of Virginia § 54.1-1103, Necessity for license (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- Code of Virginia § 54.1-1100, Definitions (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- 18VAC50-22-60, Requirements for a Class A license (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- 18VAC50-22-50, Requirements for a Class B license (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- 18VAC50-22-40, Requirements for a Class C license (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- 18VAC50-22-100, Fees (retrieved 2026-10-03)
- 18VAC50-22-140, Renewal fees (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- 18VAC50-22-110, Renewal required (retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Code of Virginia § 54.1-1115, Prohibited acts (retrieved 2026-10-04)
Changelog
- : Dataset first published: 10 of 51 jurisdictions published.